Watery graves

By Jeff Hecht

CENTURIES of overfishing have inflicted more damage on coastal marine
ecosystems than the modern ills of pollution and climate change.

The pre-industrial harvesting of sea creatures such as turtles, otters and
oysters eventually triggered the collapse of many ecosystems, says an
international team of scientists. But the havoc wreaked by early societies has
been largely overlooked. Besides plundering the ocean, many palaeontologists
blame humans for wiping out the giant animals that roamed the Americas until
about 10,000 years ago.

Karen Bjorndal of the University of Florida in Gainesville and other team
members combed through archaeological and …

To continue reading this premium article, subscribe for unlimited access.